1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method for playing an enhanced game of Twenty-one, or Blackjack. More particularly, the present invention relates to a game of Twenty-one or Blackjack that provides optional side wagers to enhance a player""s interest in the game.
2. Related Art
The conventional game of xe2x80x9cTwenty-one,xe2x80x9d or Blackjack is a popular card game of chance which has been played in gaming establishments throughout the world for a number of years. In a typical Blackjack game, each player places his or her initial wager, also known as his xe2x80x9cante,xe2x80x9d before any cards are dealt. The wager can generally be any amount the player wishes to gamble, subject generally to a minimum and maximum table limit established by the gaming establishment, or casino. Each player is then dealt two cards, both of which are generally dealt either face down, i.e., with the xe2x80x9cfacexe2x80x9d of the card placed down, so that only the player can see the value of the player""s hand, or face-up, depending on the game rules governing play. The dealer is dealt two cards, one of which is commonly face down and one of which is commonly face up. Each player, in turn, then takes as many xe2x80x9chitsxe2x80x9d (additional cards) as he or she elects until he or she either xe2x80x9cstandsxe2x80x9d (stops with hand count less than or equal to twenty-one) or xe2x80x9cbustsxe2x80x9d (hand count exceeds twenty-one). Each player may stand with any hand count of twenty-one or less. If a player busts, the player loses his or her wager, regardless of whether or not the dealer later busts his or her xe2x80x9chousexe2x80x9d hand.
After each of the players, in turn, has taken as many hits as each elects and has stood on his or her hand or busted, the dealer then turns over his or her face down card and then either stands on his or her hand or takes hits in accordance with the house rules. Most often, the house rules require that the dealer stand on his or her hand if the dealer hand has a count of seventeen or more, and require that he or she take hits if the dealer hand count is sixteen or less, until he or she attains a hand count of seventeen or more. After obtaining a hand count of seventeen or more, the dealer is typically not allowed to take additional hits, unless one of his or her cards is an ace.
In most establishments, the house rules require that the dealer take a hit if his initial hand is an ace and a six (xe2x80x9csoftxe2x80x9d seventeen), or if, after receiving one or more hits, the dealer""s hand consists of an ace and two or more cards that add up to a card count of six. Also under the conventional manner of play, the dealer is required to stand if his initial hand is a soft eighteen, soft nineteen or soft twenty, and the ace is then counted with a card count of eleven. If the dealer busts, each player who has not busted wins. If the dealer does not bust, then the hand count for each player is compared with the hand count of the dealer. If the hand count of a player exceeds that of the dealer, the player winsxe2x80x94he or she is generally paid on a 1:1 basis. If the hand count of the dealer exceeds that of the player, the player loses. If the player""s hand count ties that of the dealer, it is called a xe2x80x9cpushxe2x80x9d and the rules of play used by the gaming establishment may provide that the player loses his wager or that the player""s wager is returned to him.
The conventional method of playing Twenty-one which is utilized by most gaming establishments also includes at least three well-known procedures. These are xe2x80x9cinsurance,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cdoubling downxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csplitting pairs.xe2x80x9d
After each player and the dealer receives their first two cards, if the dealer""s xe2x80x9cupxe2x80x9d card is an ace, each player may elect to make an xe2x80x9cinsurancexe2x80x9d bet. The amount of the insurance bet, for each player making the election, is most often limited to one-half of the amount of his original ante. Then the dealer, without turning over his face-down card, checks the face-down card, and if the dealer has a Blackjack (a two card, twenty-one count hand), he or she then turns over the face-down card. Each player placing an insurance bet wins and is generally paid on a 2-to-1 basis for the insurance bet only. All players who do not also have a two-card, twenty-one count hand (a Blackjack), lose his or her original ante regardless of his or her insurance bet. Each player also having a two-card twenty-one count hand has his or her ante returned to the player or loses his ante, depending on the house rules.
Another well known procedure utilized by gaming establishments is xe2x80x9cdoubling down.xe2x80x9d The initial two-card, hand counts total which permit a player to elect to xe2x80x9cdouble downxe2x80x9d is established by house rules. While many casinos allow a player to double down on any two cards, three common double down hand counts utilized by gaming establishments are (a) nine, ten, or eleven; (b) ten or eleven; or (c) eleven only. If the player has an initial two-card hand count total equal to one of the values established by the house rules, he or she may elect to double down. The player informs the dealer of the player""s election to double down and places an additional wager up to the amount of his or her original ante. The dealer then deals to that player one and only one additional card, face-down, and the resulting three-card hand establishes the final count for that player""s hand. The player""s three card hand count is compared with the dealer""s final hand count and the amount of the player""s wager is the total of the original ante and the double down bet.
Another well known procedure utilized by gaming establishments is xe2x80x9csplitting pairs.xe2x80x9d For example, if the first two cards of a player""s hand are a pair, or are both ten-count cards, that player may elect to xe2x80x9csplitxe2x80x9d the initial two cards into two separate hands. The player then applies his original ante to one of the two hands and places an additional ante for the other hand. Both of the original two cards are then turned face-up and the player plays each of the two hands as a separate hand in accordance with the house rules. Some gaming establishments only allow splitting if the player""s first two cards are a true pair. House rules also may allow a player to double down on either or both hands.
With the exception of the above-described doubling, splitting and insurance bets, a Twenty-one player is generally limited to wagering only an initial ante, and the return or loss of his or her ante is determined by the resulting cards dealt. Often, however, players may wish to add some variety to the standard game of Blackjack. For this reason, variations on the standard Blackjack game have been introduced by some gaming establishments. These variations have taken several forms, some of which have proved overly complicated for many players to understand, leading to disfavor of the variations by players. Other variations result in such low-paying returns that players eventually stop wagering on the variations. Other attempts to add variation to the Blackjack game result in so much variation that the underlying game of Blackjack gets lost in the variation, turning away many devoted Blackjack players.
One of the types of variations that has met with some success is the offering of xe2x80x9cside bets,xe2x80x9d which allow a player to place a wager on an outcome only indirectly associated with the outcome of the Blackjack deal. One such variation, known as xe2x80x9cRoyal Match,xe2x80x9d allows a player to place a xe2x80x9csidexe2x80x9d wager, or a wager in addition to the player""s ante, that is won if the player""s first two cards are matched in suit. Winning with a matched-suit pair of first two cards often pays the player 3:1 on his side wager. If the player""s first two cards are the King and Queen of a matched suit, the player can win a higher payoff, on the order of 10:1, depending on the house rules of each casino.
While such variations have proved popular for at least a period of time, players continue to express interest in further varieties of side bets to add more excitement to the game of Blackjack. Casino owners and operators are interested in meeting this demand to keep players at the tables. However, casino owners have to date been limited in the varieties they can offer players, as the casino must thread a fine line between overcomplicating and/or altering the game, while adding variations that players appreciate and are willing to pay to play. Also, casino owners are interested in adding variety to the game of Blackjack in a manner that maintains the relatively fast pace of the game, as generally speaking, more hands played results in more revenue for the casino.
It has been recognized that it would be advantageous to develop a relatively easily understood and player friendly side wager option to enhance the attraction of a conventional Twenty-one game. It has also been recognized that it would be advantageous to develop an enhanced game of Twenty-one that pays winnings to players sufficiently frequently to render the enhanced game attractive to players while increasing an over-all revenue intake of a gaming establishment.
The invention provides a method for enhancing a conventional game of Twenty-one, and can include the steps of: providing a player an opportunity to place a Twenty-one wager to participate in the conventional game of Twenty-one; providing the player an opportunity to place a match wager that an index value of at least one of an initial two cards dealt to the player will match an index value of a face-up card dealt to a dealer; dealing the initial two cards to the player; verifying that the player placed the match wager and paying the player a match winning amount on the match wager if the index value of at least one of the initial two cards dealt to the player matches the index value of the face-up card; and continuing with play of the conventional game of Twenty-one.
In accordance with a more detailed aspect of the present invention, a method for enhancing a conventional game of Twenty-one is provided, and can include the steps of: providing a player an opportunity to place a Twenty-one wager to participate in the conventional game of Twenty-one; providing the player an opportunity to place a poker wager that a two-card poker hand value of an initial two cards dealt to the player will equal one of a plurality of paying two-card poker hand values; dealing the initial two cards to the player; verifying that the player placed the poker wager and paying the player a poker winning amount on the poker wager if the two-card poker hand value of the initial two cards dealt to the player equals one of the plurality of paying two-card poker hand values; and continuing with play of the conventional game of Twenty-one.
In accordance with a more detailed aspect of the present invention, a method for enhancing a conventional game of Twenty-one is provided, and can include the steps of: a player placing a Twenty-one wager to participate in the conventional game of Twenty-one; the player placing a match wager that an index value of at least one of an initial two cards dealt to the player will match an index value of a face-up card dealt to a dealer; the player being dealt the initial two cards; the player winning a match winning amount on the match wager if the index value of at least one of the initial two cards dealt to the player matches the index value of the face-up card dealt to the dealer; the player continuing with play of the conventional game of Twenty-one.
In accordance with a more detailed aspect of the present invention, a method for enhancing a conventional game of Twenty-one is provided and can include the steps of: a player placing a Twenty-one wager to participate in the conventional game of Twenty-one; the player placing a poker wager that a two-card poker hand value of an initial two cards dealt to the player will equal one of a plurality of paying two-card poker hand values; the player being dealt the initial two cards; the player winning a poker winning amount on the poker wager if the two-card poker hand value of the initial two cards dealt to the player equals one of the plurality of paying two-card poker hand values; and the player continuing with play of the conventional game of Twenty-one.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which together illustrate, by way of example, features of the invention.